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Editorial:
While concerns about TTP bases are valid, Pakistan must reassess its strategy towards Afghanistan
Islamabad must engage the Taliban high command in Kandahar, as well as politicians in Kabul, so that the doors of negotiation are not closed.
Afghan outreach
Editorial
January 11, 2025
AS much mistrust marks Pakistan’s relations with the Afghan Taliban, Kabul’s rulers are reaching out to regional states in order to break out from their isolation and deepen economic ties.
While no one has formally recognised the Taliban regime, states are doing business with Kabul just short of recognition. In a significant development, the Taliban foreign minister met the Indian foreign secretary in Dubai recently, with the Afghan side describing India as a “significant regional and economic partner.”
Trade relations were apparently the key area of discussion. It should be remembered that India was a major player in Afghanistan before the 2021 Taliban takeover. According to media reports, New Delhi had pumped $3bn into Afghanistan for ‘reconstruction’ projects, and the erstwhile Northern Alliance members had warm relations with India. The Indians have reacted cautiously with the Taliban, but matters are proceeding nonetheless. The Taliban also maintain significant links with China and Russia.
These developments should concern Pakistan, and make its policymakers revisit their Afghan strategy. The stark fact is that while the Afghan Taliban may be difficult customers, Pakistan cannot afford a hostile neighbour to its west. Islamabad’s concerns about TTP bases in Afghanistan are valid, but it needs to perhaps change its strategy with the Taliban so that the message sinks in.
At a recent seminar in Islamabad, some experts were of the view that instead of communicating with the rulers in Kabul, Pakistan must raise the TTP issue with the Taliban leadership in Kandahar, from where the real power in Afghanistan flows.
Though Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is a reclusive figure, if Pakistan were to successfully engage him or those close to him, and convince them to relocate the TTP and other anti-Pakistan terrorists away from the border, this might improve the security situation in the country with minimum costs. Such moves have been tried before — with limited success — when the Taliban leadership issued a fatwa in 2023 stopping its cadres from waging a ‘jihad’ inside Pakistan.
The Taliban are welcome to keep the TTP, as long as they pose no harm to Pakistan. The present strategy — limited talks with and kinetic action against Kabul — has failed to resolve the problem. As others are making diplomatic inroads with the Afghan Taliban, including unfriendly governments, Pakistan must reassess and readjust its strategy.
Islamabad should work with other regional states to stress that the Taliban must take stronger counterterrorism measures, so that militant groups cannot threaten Afghanistan’s neighbours. Yet it must also engage the Taliban high command in Kandahar, as well as the politicians in Kabul, so that the doors of negotiation are not closed. If relations sour further with Afghanistan, it will add to insecurity in this country, and give hostile states room to manoeuvre.
Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2025
Pakistan has been negotiating with the taliban and afghans for decades. It has ONLY resulted in them seeing Pakistan as weak and they have continued their terrorism against us for decades. The afghan ONLY understands ONE language. Brute force and hostility. Nothing else. It's about time Pakistan defended it self.
Well said.
From a country where during the jummah khutba the speaker uses such a language that not even a hindu dares to use against us, one cannot accept good, only evil has come out of aghanistan, at least for Pakistan.
Its time that our leaders get their heads out of each other asses to focus on lingering threats challenging Pakistan, including aghanistan.
Bcz at this point there is no denying that afghani soil is hostile towards us.
The Afghans can be quite reasonable when talking to others, with Pakistan however they are morons,Pakistan has been negotiating with the taliban and afghans for decades. It has ONLY resulted in them seeing Pakistan as weak and they have continued their terrorism against us for decades. The afghan ONLY understands ONE language. Brute force and hostility. Nothing else. It's about time Pakistan defended it self.
The Afghans can be quite reasonable when talking to others, with Pakistan however they are morons,
They expect us to look after millions of Afghans
Allow them to use our ports and infrastructure
Are racist to our people
.if this wasn't bad enough they allow anti Pakistan terrorist to group, train, obtain weapons and then attack us
Then we have Afghan wannabes tell us don't respond to repeated attacks and hitting them back is a escalation
Ridiculous people
That's because they consider our hospitality, help, assistance and restraint as weakness. They also consider Pakistani territory as their own. The problem is, is that we are not killing enough of the ttp terrorists and their afghan backers. Once we start killing them and their family members en-masse, they will stop. That is the ONLY language the afghan understands. Pakistan is too slow to respond. That is the biggest hurdle. Make NO MISTAKE about it, the afghans are JUST AS much as an enemy of the Pakistani people and nation as the indians are.
ALL afghans in Pakistan need to be sent back home. The Pakistan/afghan border needs to be permanently sealed with huge concrete walls. Nothing comes in or goes out. Watch how afghanistan survives then.
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